Residents in Pearl River County are being warned of an ongoing scam where callers are alleging they represent a local law enforcement agency and are seeking payments for back taxes.

Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said that several staff at the County Courthouse received calls from individuals posing as employees of the local law enforcement agency seeking payments for back taxes for the Internal Revenue Service.

The callers gave a number that the individual was supposed to call back, which for a short time even had an individual answer and pose as a member of the local department.

Tucker said that number has since been disconnected.

“They are spoofing numbers. They are not held long enough to trace,” Tucker said.

He advises anyone who gets a call from someone posing as the Sheriff’s Department to keep in mind that the agency will never ask for payment of back taxes for the IRS. Also, if the caller were to ask for payment of any fines, the Sheriff’s Department would not call. If a warrant was out for a person’s arrest, a deputy would go to that person’s house, not call.

Another telltale sign was the scammers were asking for payment in a reloadable card such as Green Dot, or iTunes.

Residents who receive suspicious calls such as these are advised to not be intimidated by the person on the other end and just hang up.